Planned Eureka! Mersey attraction secures £3m of government funding

Wirral’s planned Eureka! Mersey attraction has moved a step closer towards opening in 2021 after securing £3 million of government funding.

The project, which aims to reinvent the borough’s SPACEPORT as a world-class science and discovery experience, is one of six UK centres to receive a share of the £13m Inspiring Science Fund.

Alongside Eureka! Mersey, which would extend the Eureka! brand beyond its long-running attraction in Halifax, the Liverpool City Region also received a cash boost for the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre in Widnes.

Through the funding pot, which is a joint initiative between the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Wellcome, Catalyst has been awarded £754,600.

Eureka! Mersey is proposed to be a 21st Century science and discovery centre for 0 to 14-year-olds, costing £11m in total.

Meanwhile Catalyst Science Discovery Centre plans to use the money to launch its ‘Catalyst for a Future Generation’ project exploring ground-breaking thinking about the relationship between science and wellbeing. New spaces and exhibits will be developed, aiming to inspire a future generation of scientists across the region.

According to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the two Liverpool City Region centres were successful in their funding applications after ‘presenting exciting plans to connect with audiences and communities who don’t currently visit science centres or engage with learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)’.

Announcing the funding on Monday (6 August), science minister Sam Gyimah said: “We want to bring the wonders of science to as wide an audience as possible and that’s why it is at the heart of our modern Industrial Strategy.

“Today’s investment in the North West will help inspire people to learn about the truly amazing benefits that science and technology has on all our lives.”

Other UK science centres to receive a share of the funding include Techniquest in Wales, The National Space Centre, and Dundee Science Centre and Glasgow Science Centre in Scotland.